Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1887-07-16
FAILURE OF THE AiR-6RAHes CAUSES
A TERRIBLE CALAMITY.
A Heavily Loaded Passenger Train
Runs into Freight, and Ex-
plodes an Oil Tank.


railway resulting in the
loss OF snTETgFs IdvFs
and the injury Of over forty other persons,
three Of four fatally, A special eastbound
Michigan Central freight train was pulling
out Of the yard as the regular excursion
train from Port Stanley approached with ten
coaches, literally packed with residents of
this city and London. Engineer Harry Don
nelly vas in charge OF the Port Stanley
train, and as he was crossing the bridge be
noticed. as the fireman states, that the soma
pEore was closed against him As he ap-
preached Wellington street he applied the
aif-brakes, but thew refused 10 work He
then vhistlad for brakes AMI reversed his en-
gine hnt as the ten.ler WIS what is known as
a screw lever. some time was occupied in
reversing it
From Wellington straet 10 the crossing the
train ran with engine reversed The Violent
whistlnig had alarmed the pedestrians and
passengers alike, and That collision was un
was evident TIE passengers com
tiI=.neefi emerging from car windows. and
every avalabie meat, Of esress Wa taken
advantage nj The ma iaity # the passen-
* III the car ',ext to the engine had got out
when the eagine plunged into the Michigan
Central freight tain. AMI rs the trains came
together. Engineer Dnnnelly could I've seen in
the cab with his hand on the lever still Ell
deavorlng to make the air-brakss work
As if fate were linked t, add
ADDITIONAL HORROR
to an already sufficiently appalling affair, the
section of the freight train into which the
engine Of the passenger train piowei CON
sisted of two cars containing tanks filed with
crude oil and one ear loaded with barrels Of
refined oil, and almost before the passengers
heard the crash OF the collision, it was fol
lowed by a tremendous explosion which
could be heard for miles
When the collision occurred the engine
bent, swayed, and surged for moment. and
finally, turning partially over. fell to the
ground on the other side Of the car Then
shot up
C0LCafN OF FLAME
through the black smoke AMI cinders, that
was visible twenty five miles away. accom-
panied by a roar overpowering all other
sounds The burning oil was scattered around
in all directions, setting fire to Griffin's coal
and salt warehouse, J [, Campbels dwell
ing and warehouse and other structures il
the vicinity destroying all of these and caus
ing a loss of about 81. 900 Herman Pons
ford, Of the fire department was literally
encircled by the flames. and when the smoke
cleared away il was seen that from head to
foot be Was living mass Of flames He was
wrapped in clothes and the flaming
remnants OF his vest AMI trousers were torn
from his blazing body,
EXHIBITING THE COOKED FLESH
tereath- His injuries are of horrible ma
ture end he can not recover. Chief Wal
bourne was seriously burned about the head
and face. John Mcclellan was burned badly
abont the face and hands; W LETTERS, facs
and hands; Nelson Gadsley, ears and head
P Reath badly burned on the face and arms:
Ed Moore, burned on tie face aud hands
Engineer Joyce, Of the Grand Trunk road,
was mass of flames, his clothing wass stripped
from his body by willing hands and he was
taken home in cab The s-year-old son Of
r. Cattiay was on fire from head to foot; he
can not recover. Charles Chisholm, r Hut
son, John Sterling, Allie and Archie Nors-
worthy, Thomas johnson, Thomas Doherty,
D. McCalum, Martha Lamery, Frank Queen,
Charles Dake, J A Norman. and scores Of
others, were painfully burned by the blaz
ing oil, many of them fatally Hon A
Francis, United States consul was struck by
a hose reel and terribly injured; his recovery
is doubtful
BODIES RECOGNIZED.
The following bodies have been recognized:
Fl. DonneIIy. engineer of the excursion train;
j Smither, wife and daughter A Zealand
and daughter
Mrs " Fl King, who with three children
story of the wreck This was only car
wrecked and it was consequently in this car
that the victims who we're incinerated were
riding. Mrs King states that the train wa
running unusually fast from Port Stanley, a
lady who was in the car stating that the time
occupied was but fifteen minutes At Wei
Iington stree mrs King noticed that the train
speed somewhat but it was not un-
Ill The train was opposite Elizabeth street
that she suspected anything wrong She was
looking out Of the window and observed the
Central freight train. For a mo-
nent she thought the train had been passed
10 allow the passenger train TO pass through,
but on looking out Of the opposite window
she saw that her first impression was incor-
rect and that collision was about to take
place About as soon as she realized this
fact
THE CRASH CANE.
The engine OF the passenger train parted
the freight, and the rear section of the latter
crashed into the passenger train The utmost
confusion at once arose, and the shrieks of
the women and children were heartrendlng.
A moment later flames broke out. Mr. A
B Remy and Mr. 4 A Drake at once res
cued Mrs King and Mrs. Negg and their
children through the windows and others
clambered through the remaining windows
Before the accident occurred, Mrs. King
states, Mrs Zealand and Mrs Smther were
seated together IN the second seat from the
forward end of the car Mrs Smither had
her 3-months-old babe in her arms on the left
hand side, Mrs Frame being seated opposite
her Mr. Zealand, with his , months old
babe was seated on the opp1side side There
were also two large-slzad men sitting seat
or two behind Mrs Zealand and Mr. Smith
er She did not recognize who they were
Of the eight. hut one, Mrs Zealand, is
known to have escaped
Alex Watson, Grand Trunk passenger
III dh-iiitfl, WIS itf'"H NY III tI WI,
and had bis nollar-hona broken A ChuIley
was RIM over by hosc-reel AMI had his leg
broken
LATER Mine bodias we're tak4 from the
wreck about Q O'clock u III Names could
not he procured with exartnpss but the fol-
lowing are bel ieved 10 lie aWGls TIE killed:
Engineer Hmrs D1uelIy, Mr. Ts'dand, OF
Port Stanley and child, and the wife ana
child of James Smithers. a dry goods
merchant of Port Stanley. Among tbs
injured are Mrs. Zealand, who is perhaps
fatally burned
The Engineer Was Careless.
LINCOLN, Neb.. July l6 The regular
freight train from the east crashed into al
extra stock train bound for Omaha at
O'Clock Friday morning on a br 'ge near
Haveioek Thirteen cars were mashed uT
and took fire and we're totally destroyed One
OF the cars contained the goods aud persons of
DR.. Max Randall and his SON Charley, from
Rossvile, Ohio Both are seriously hurt 1t
is regarded as certain that some unknown
persons persisted iii the wreck and flames. The
fire reached two oil tank cars, which were
loaded with oil aud both exploded with ter
rifle force, spreading the burning fluid in all
directions and setting fire to many other cars